Editor’s note: This column was submitted by a student-athlete in the UT community who goes by his middle name and whose last name has been withheld to preserve anonymity.
As a student-athlete, I am often asked about what it means to be a student-athlete at a Division 1 school and I receive many comments about how difficult it is; My answer is usually yes, it can be difficult, but I love it and wouldn’t have it any other way.
Student-athletes can face a multitude of mental health issues, from eating disorders to performance anxiety. As a student-athlete, I wouldn’t say that there are any particular challenges that are unique to being an athlete, although some may be greater than others. I would say being a student-athlete makes it a little more difficult to talk about mental health, we do what we love and some may wonder “what should we complain about” when we are the ones who chose this life and so many other things. is “given” to us.
Administration is extremely helpful to the mental health of student-athletes. We have the flexibility to schedule sessions with licensed therapists when it fits our schedule. Many athletes benefit from it, and there is a lot of emphasis that we should use it. I would say that mental health is a bit of a taboo subject for society and the general public. This is becoming more and more common, but the stigma around the topic persists to some extent. I would say that the administration and society view ideas on this topic quite differently. UT athletes and coaches really emphasize getting the help you need to help you perform at your best, even emphasizing therapy, while society views it strangely, usually not talking about when you go to therapy or why, when very often there are a multitude of reasons. behind therapy.
I think student-athletes tend to be pretty good at taking care of their mental health when necessary. Of course, there is always the problem of bottling up emotions rather than talking about them, but I believe this is happening less and less thanks to the therapy available to us and our teammates. Student-athletes are very understanding of each other in terms of mental health, we all go through the same workouts and issues, so who else would relate and know how we feel more than anyone else student-athlete?
Mental health is extremely important for sports performance. You have to participate in it to get the results you want. Sometimes it can be difficult to truly focus on your sport if you’re dealing with outside stressors or drama that can really drain your performance and focus. Often, many student-athletes find their sports to be an escape from stress, something to focus on rather than outside stressors.
